Mission Impossible: Operation Mailbox

When Holden was about a week and a half old I decided it was time for a quick outing.  If you know me I get a little stir crazy if I'm home too much and I really like to get outside.  I hadn't checked the mail since Holden was born and I knew there were some goodies waiting there for us (I may have ordered several things while in the hospital...those late night feedings get me every time!)  Because we live in a town home, the mailbox isn't right outside our door, instead it's about a block away.  So we usually just stroll on over and are home in about 5 minutes--no big deal right?  Wrong.  Apparently things take ten bazillion times longer than you ever thought they would once you have two kids in tow.

First I ran outside to the car to get the stroller out.  Holden was sound asleep when I went out and when I returned not 3 minutes later she was screaming bloody murder--dying of starvation of course.  So I brought the stroller inside and sat down to feed her.

She let me know that she was done by projectile vomiting all over the two of us. Awesome.  Of course now I had to get both of us changed before we could head out the door.  Once all clean I came downstairs to find Hattie rummaging through the pantry because she too had reached the point of starvation.  I had to then baggie up some snacks and water for her to take on the 5 minute journey we were about to embark. 

Once the snacks were prepared, it was now too cold for us to go out without jackets on.  So back upstairs we go to find something a little warmer to wear.  So...by the time I got Holden fed, myself and baby changed, jackets on, stroller set up, girls buckled in with snacks and water in hand it was an hour and a half later!  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!  It truly felt like we would never make it out the door alive.  Luckily, we made it to the mailbox and back in one piece.  But, let's just say that a "quick trip" is no longer part of our vocabulary. Ha!

Luck of the Irish

Daddy's Good Luck Charm

Green milk with Lucky Charms

Lucky the Leprechaun surprised Hattie with a little treasure hunt.

 Too bad he was too quick and we couldn't catch him! Silly little fella!

Surprise!  St. Patrick's day outfits and money in our shoes!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Three Weeks Old

At three weeks old Holden started rolling over, took her first nap in the crib and took her first shopping trip Target (surprise, surprise) during which she slept the entire time, ha! :)

I'm a big kid now!

Since having Holden, I now see Hattie as so much more of a big girl! As she gets older she is losing so much of that "baby" in her and it's a very bittersweet thing for me.  I absolutely love watching her grow and learn but now it's only on occasion that I get a glimpse of that little newborn baby that made me become a mama.  Anyway, moving on... 

One thing that we wanted to accomplish before bringing a new baby home was to have her potty trained.  We started right after her 2nd birthday and she got it within about a month or so!  We couldn't be more proud of her and it was so nice to never have to experience two in diapers.  Potty training is definitely a challenge and there were some days I SOOOO just wanted to throw in the towel.  Something that really helped me was listening to this webinar--it really made all the difference!

 

Another milestone that Hattie has reached is sleeping in a big girl bed!  I was SUPER worried about this transition because she has never been a very good sleeper--she STILL wakes up during the night at least 3 times a week, usually around 2 or 3AM.  Oh yeah, did I mention that she's TWO? HA!  So needless to say, I thought for sure once she had more freedom and wasn't behind bars (ha!) that she would immediately come into our room and want to sleep in our bed.  I love her more than words but I just couldn't handle having her in our bed.  

After much anxiety over the whole thing, one night we just decided to try it and see what happened.  She was so cute and excited to sleep in her bed and that first night she didn't even wake up once!  Unfortunately it wasn't a trend.  She still wakes up but never once has she tried to come out of her room--she just cries out for mama from her bed, bless her heart.  And every time I still go in there and sing her back to sleep.  Good thing she's so darn sweet! Ha!  Really though, I know that I will look back on this time and miss it like crazy.  I love this little girl so much my heart could burst.

But, if any of y'all have any tips for getting a toddler to sleep through the night I'm all ears.  We've tried everything from giving her something to eat RIGHT before bed to Lavender oil on her feet.  I'm so used to it now that it doesn't really phase me much. I just figure that she'll catch up on all her sleep as a teenager, you know, sleeping in until Noon and all :)